In "The Star Weekend" of Friday 26 October 2007 Bebo was again in the news as a place where children, teenagers are identified as exercising unsafe sopcial networking practices. Notwithstanding the launch of the Bebo Safety website www.bebosafety.com this site appears to be hit by regular bad press in New Zealand. Whilst of course any case of compromised child safety is one to many, it should be remembered that Bebo is the number one social network in New Zealand, especially for the younger generations. At odds with other parts of the world, Bebo is leaving the competition well behind with around 20% of the community and chat traffic, against 7% for Myspace and only 3% for Facebook (figures date from July 2007 and are sourced here).
In this latest case two girls aged 12 and 13 from Christchurch were identified as having placed pictures of themselves in adult gear and wearing make up. Additionally they provided their contact details as well. Other cases had been identified. This follows news earlier this year that
Bebo was being used for the purpose of drugs supply.
Bebo is known to be a place that is trawled by online groomers and posting all your contact details in this case even the school the girls attended bears a risk that is not always appreciated by these children according to the experts.
There appears to be more going on however. Sharing the ups and downs of your life publicly is something that seems to be more accepted and considered as part of life by younger generations.
In
a recent article in USA Today, it is reported that "to the Internet generation, reaching out and touching a few hundred of their closest friends — especially through social-networking sites MySpace and Facebook — is as natural as brushing their teeth."
At the same time youngster appear to be more conscious of the risks and protective about what information they share publicly: "They've grown up with the reality that if you put things out there, things can happen," she says. "People find out about things, and you just get a thicker skin or figure out how to manage your public identity and just bounce back from it", according to Goodstein who was interviewed for the article.
The "experts" in New Zealand, amongst others Lee Chisolm of the
Internet Safety Group who was quoted in "The Star" article points out that whilst millions of users are using these social networking sites no-one is monitoring them. Naivety and a sense of adventure could end up being risky and even costly.
Parents are considered to be the first responsible party to ensure that children are safe online. (At the same time however more and more parental powers are being taken away). Through informing the children, through monitoring what their children do online. Besides that schoolsd are taking a more active role and many schools by now are blocking access to sites such as Bebo and Facebook. Where objectionalble or risky behaviour of students is identified, parents are warned.
"She'll Be Right"Parliament launched the Hector Protector Safety button yesterday, next to bilingual posters encouraging children to seek help if they feel uncomfortable during online encounters.Children are taught to click on Hector's image on the computer screen if they become scared or feel uncomfortable. This action covers the computer with an underwater scene and encourages the child to seek help from an adult.
Surveys showed a third of New Zealand children and teens had gone on to meet an online friend face-to-face.Kiwi kids were more willing to meet strangers offline than children from other countries.
In the UK the Police took matters in their hands and launched a site to educate the young ones. At
www.thinkuknow.co.uk/cybercafe, an online cafe, children can learn about the dangers of revealing too much about themselves online.It warns them not to give away their real name, full address and mobile phone number and to think twice before posting their pictures as well as to avoid using a web cam when they talk to strangers and not to arrange for off line meetings.
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre of the UK said it receives about 10 reports each month relating to children aged between eight and 11.
Also see:
In all of this one could wonder what is happening to the "social" in social networking. It is sad to see that wherever things are happening, people find a way to abuse it, both in the private and business atmosphere. It makes one wonder.
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I came across this interesting article on new.com. And while the population of respondents (900+) is not overwhelming, it is something we as caring parents need to take into consideration. Talk to your children, get involved.
Study: 'Cyberbullying' hits one third of teens
By Stefanie Olsen
http://news.com.com/Study+Cyberbullying+hits+one+third+of+teens/2100-1038_3-6193723.html Story last modified Wed Jun 27 21:00:42 PDT 2007
http://news.com.com/2100-1038_3-6193723.html
One in three teenagers say they've been bullied in some way online, but two-thirds of teens still believe they're more likely to be harassed offline, according to a new study.
The most common form of bullying reported by teens online involves another person publicizing a private e-mail, instant message or text message, according to a study released Wednesday from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Fifteen percent of teens surveyed said that they had experienced the embarrassment of having a private communication posted publicly online or forwarded to a third party.
Other types of harassment include someone spreading a rumor or posting an embarrassing photo on the Web, as well as someone sending a threatening or aggressive e-mail, IM or text message, the report found.
The study casts light on so-called cyberbullying, behavior among teens that child safety advocates believe could be more harmful than the threat of online sexual predators because of its sheer scope. A 2006 teen survey on cyberbullying reported that it affects as many as 13 million teens annually. (Though statistics vary widely, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children cites a report that one in seven teens have received a sexual solicitation online.)
Amanda Lenhart, senior research specialist at Pew and author of the report, wrote that she found through teen focus groups that online bullying has become prevalent for several reasons. One is that it's easy for teens to forward messages, post embarrassing photos or spread rumors online. Kids also feel emboldened with the notion that they can bully without consequences, hiding behind their computer.
"Bullying has entered the digital age," Lenhart wrote. "The impulses behind it are the same, but the effect is magnified. Now, with a few clicks, a photo, video or a conversation can be shared with hundreds via e-mail or millions through a Web site."
Pew also found that girls are more likely to be bullied online than boys. Thirty-eight percent of girls reported that they had been harassed online vs. 26 percent of boys. The number of incidents rose, however, among older girls and teens who regularly use social networks like Facebook or MySpace.com. Nearly 40 percent of teens on social networks say that they've been bullied.
When asked about harassment in the physical world, as many as 67 percent said that bullying was still more likely to happen offline than online.
The data comes from phone surveys with 935 teens ages 12 to 17 across the country. Pew reported a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.
Copyright ©1995-2007 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.
In the US, a new National Child Safety Campaign was launched today by the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The new campaign TAKE 25 encourages
families to take 25 minutes to talk with their children about safety and abduction
prevention
The following is 25 safety tips were found on the website aimed at enhancing child safety, please read them over and discuss them with your children. Personally I thought this was a great initiative.
AT HOME
1. Teach your children their full names, address, phone number, and cellphone
number. Make sure they know your full name.
2. Make sure that your children know how to reach you at work or on your
cell phone.
3. Teach your children when and how to use 911. In New Zealand this would translate to 111.
4. Make sure your children have a trusted adult to call if they're scared or have an emergency.
5. Instruct children to keep the door locked and not open the door to talk to anyone when they are home alone. Set rules with your children about having visitors over
when you're not home and how to answer the telephone.
On a personal note: consider whether it is good idea to leave your children at
home at all.
6. Choose babysitters with care. Obtain references from family, friends and neighbours. Once you have chosen the caregiver, drop in unexpectedly to see how your children are doing. Ask your children how the experience with the
caregiver was and listen carefully to responses.
ON THE NET
7. Learn about the internet. The more you know about how the web works, the better prepared you are to teach your children about potential risks.
On a personal note: Eeven though I am disgusted at times with what I see is
accessible I would like to say that we sdhoulod at all times prevent painting a
picture that makes your children shy away from this otherwise good opportunity.
There is also a lot of valuable information and opportunities out there.
8. Place the family computer in a common area, rather than a child's bedroom. Monitor their time spent online and the websites they've visited.
9. Use privacy settings on social networking sites to limit contact with unknown users.
10. Make sure screen names don't reveal to much information about your children.
AT SCHOOL
11. Don't display your child's name on clothing, backpacks, lunch boxes, or other properties. When children's names are visible, it may put them on a first name
basis with someone who means them harm.
12. Remind kids to take a friend whenever they walk or bike to school.
13. Walk the route to and from school with your children, pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if they're being followed or need help. If your child rides
a bus, visit the bus stop with them to make sure they know which bus to take.
OUT AND ABOUT
14. Take your children on a walking tour of the neighborhood and tell them whose homes they may visit without you.
15. Tell your children to get you if they come across a dangerous object or situation.
16. Teach your children to ask permission before leaving the house and to tell you where they're going.
17. Remind your children not to walk or play alone outside.
18. Teach your children not to approach any vehicle, occupied or not, unless they know the owner and are accompanied by a trusted adult.
19. Remind your children it's ok to say NO TO ANYTHING ( JD: or anyone) THAT MAKES THEM FEEL SCARED, UNCOMFORTABLE, OR CONFUSED.
20. Don't confuse your children with the concept of "strangers". Children do not have
the same understanding of who a stranger is as an adult might. The stranger-danger" message is not effective, as danger to children is greater from
someone you know than from a stranger. There may also come a time when
your child may need help from someone they don't know when you're not around.
21. Set up "WHAT IF" situations and ask your children how they would respond. "What if someone asked you to help them find a lost puppy? What would you do?"
22. During family outings, establish a central, easy to locate spot to meet for check ins or should you get separated.
On a personal note: make sure you have at all times an eye on your children.
23. Teach your children to check in with you if there is a change in plans.
24. Teach your children how to locate help at theme parks, sports stadiums, shopping malls, and other public places. Also, identify those people who are safe to ask for help, such as police officers, security guards, and store clerks with name tags.
25. Practice safty skills so that they become second nature to your children. While
you don't want to scare your children, it is important to make sure they are aware of potential risks and dangers and assist them in being prepared to avoid
them or confidently deal with them as they happen.
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